In Hezbollah’s northern stronghold, officials explained how far the tentacles of the Lebanese militant group extend into everyday life. “They run schools, food banks and hospitals, operate banks which support the poor,” said Ahmad Tfayli, the mayor of Baalbek. The Shia group, he claimed, never ask about religion and, he added, keeps the peace.
However, there’s little sign of peace in Lebanon, where as Israel’s land invasion of the south gets under way, thick plumes of smoke rise from Beirut’s southern suburbs — Hezbollah’s bastion in the capital.
